Sweet...good to hear we have a leader to plan this out! Now if I could just get the 40 running, I could decide where to spend the coin...40 or 80...

T

Quote:

Originally Posted by nakman

Well we've obviously got 6 months to work out the details, but right now the plan in my head for the RS caravan is to leave Denver early AM on Monday 6/16.. drive at least half the way then try to remote camp somewhere fun. Drive Tuesday 6/17 until we're more or less at the destination, then some can hotel it for a night, others can camp again.. event starts Wednesday morning, 6/18 and finishes on Sunday 6/22. So then we can decide if we want to bail Sunday night to get a jump on the drive, or just wait until Monday morning, but so we're back in Denver some time on Tuesday 6/24.

I've already discussed this with a few folks who are committed to going, but later on this spring we'll organize some planning meetings for all the club members who are interested, with two main objectives: One to one map out our route & itinerary, both ways, make sure we've got a plan and everyone's needs will be met. And two, discuss our vehicles and what maintenance & mods everyone needs to get done, and when they're going to do it. We'll probably have a couple tech parties for the latter as well.. this is essentially a 9 day trip, 6 days high range and 3 days low range.. we're going to do this right.

I'm planning on it since I'd really like to run it with the club, which means I can totally mooch a winch pull if I need it (yeah I know, it's not like the Hot Rod Hilux would ever need it). My winter and spring plans are to get the truck ready for this trip: sliders (preemptive thanks to Red Chili), high clearance cross member & skid plate, some sort of low transfer gearing and maybe a fridge (doubtful). But other than that stuff, I'm as ready as I'll ever be since there's no plan for SAS or anything, so double Air Lockers and 33" tires is as far as it's going. I'd like to mount up some 33x10.50 BFG MTs, although that's probably a pipe dream. I'm rebuilding the suspension this year, doing some brake upgrading and I put in A/C a year and half ago. That was prompted by a road trip through southern Utah and northern Arizona in late summer (our Grand Canyon trip with Dean). Why the heck someone would live in a place that's 100F in October is unfathomable to this huckleberry.

It looks like some groups start on Wednesday and some start on Thursday. If we start on Wednesday, is that 5 days of wheeling?

If we start wheeling on Thursday, we can leave Tuesday from Denver. And if we start driving east from Rubicon Springs on Sunday, we can get home Monday night. If we go with this plan, I'd only need to ask for 5 days of vacation: Tuesday June 17 thru Monday June 23.

If it's worth it to ask for more vacation and go from 6/16 - 6/24, I'm game. I agree, let's do it right. I don't think I'll be able to do it again for a while.

I'll touch base with Tony Twiddy to get a better understanding of what goes on each day.

Less vacation time is good for me, I'm going to be cutting it close with CM08 only 1.5 months previous! Let's do it right though, I agree. I just did the drive from San Francisco to Denver last March, and it's a long haul across the desert!

Cool info, thanks, it looks like per last year's info that leaving at the end on Sunday is the norm, so we could be back here by Monday night (and you don't need to take Tuesday off). I'd still like to see the bulk of the club leave together on Monday morning though, let's do the expedition thing. Plus will need some practice time on the 2m radio...

Is caravaning reasonable with a few 40's in the mix... I can see your tail lights now after the first three miles on the freeway!

Not in a FJ40, but I'm driving out and I'm s-l-o-w with a capital 'S'. I tend to cruise at about 65MPH, although the truck will do 70~75MPH without complaint (it starts to really scream at 80MPH). But at 55~65 MPH I can go 350 miles on a tank of gas comfortably. To minimize the number of one finger salutes at these speeds I tend to stay off Interstates as much as possible, so if I was designing a route it would ideally look like this Google Map. However I'm also aware that this route would take 3 days realistically. I wouldn't mind doing US40 to SLC and US50 across Nevada. Still more of a 22R-E friendly speed. On Interstates, you'll have company in me.